In the Apennines the crunchy has ancient origins: it was the most popular dessert of our houses, prepared with almonds and hazelnuts in season, when long hedges of hazelnuts accompanied our driveways, and each house had its own almond tree; In the evening from the hands of grandmothers, mothers and “rasdore”, came out many small tiles, irregular lozenges of shiny crunchy and warm honey and caramelized sugar.

The ritual of the crunchy, its history and its preparation, its origins and its meaning refer to an all-female world: to a world of a few generations ago, when the crunchy was born from the hands of the bride’s friends and from the work of days and days to become that elaborate and superb architecture that would adorn the wedding table (in times when the large multi-storey white cake was a luxury for few).
It was then the gift for the wedding spread in all the villages of the Reggio Apennines and popular tradition added on the top of the “castle” the figurines of the spouses who hid the face of twins below …. Symbol and wish for a happy life and imminent motherhood. To make the typical wedding cake, which can reach up to 5 or 6 floors in height, it takes at least a week of work and finishing on site.

A tradition that has seen the birth of the association ” Le croccantine di Baiso” has been involved for years in promoting, preserving and handing down the originality and particularity of the crunchy culture and delivers its own recipe which is composed of simple basic ingredients: almonds, butter, sugar and… love. It seems very simple, but it is not, just think that to work 4 kilos of almonds it takes about 5 hours.